GelaSkins brings original art and a little protection to the back of your …

Entranced by the magical adhesive technology that were Gelaskins at Macworld Expo last year, I ordered one of the vinyl coverings fabricated by 3M and fused with eclectic artwork for my wife's iPod nano. In the review, I was impressed by the tough, yet paper-thin protective sheath and the customized fit of the GelaSkin, while my wife liked the pretty, pink flowers. A year later, that GelaSkin continues to protect the iPod Nano my wife hasn't used since she got her iPhone last month. Luckily, GelaSkins has expanded both its catalog of skins and the devices they protect, which now includes the iPhone.

This time, however, there would be no pretty, pink flowers. This time there would be A Statement. I decry the dystopian future of personal technology as it has come to be defined in the Windows Universe. I choose to embrace the never was of the Steampunk Era, where nifty (but ungainly) steam power is the foundation of technology, kind of like the G5 from IBM for the Mac. What better way to wear my allegiance to the Victorian ideals of innovation, authoritarianism, and utilitarianism—the greatest good for the greatest number (with money). Sounds like today's Apple to me. Plus the gears and stuff—all very cool.

GelaSkins for iPhone (skin on the right)

Pricing for current model iPods and the iPhone is $14.95, plus $7.95 for shipping via UPS from Canada. There is a $3.95 option for shipping via regular post, but as someone who worked for the USPS—don't. The 3G iPhone will be out before the postal services of two nations manage to get your GelaSkin to you. In case you are confused by the image above, the Gelaskin only covers the back of your iPhone. For another $7.75, you can get two clear GelaScreens with the iPhone. That way you don't have to look at your skin oil and DNA smeared across the glass of your iPhone or iPod Touch. I paid $15 for two clear screens from a local Apple Store before I decided on a GelaSkin, so there is some value in that proposition. However, the value in GelaSkins for the iPhone is not price.

Steampunk GelaSkin and wallpaper for iPhone

Application of the GelaSkin on an iPhone or iPod touch is even easier than other iPods, in that the skin does not wrap around the entire device. Simply center the camera lens cutout and gently apply to the cleaned surface of the device. If it doesn't go on right, the GelaSkin can be easily removed, including removal to replace with another GelaSkin. While recommended for single use, they can be reused. I removed mine for a while and then reapplied it, but it's important to save the backing the GelaSkin came from. While the magical alien technology of the GelaSkin is not "sticky" like tape or glue, it will pick up dirt.

Each GelaSkin also comes with wallpaper taken from the larger work, though some only repeat the GelaSkin design, making the back look like the front. Steampunk has three wallpaper options, and they all look good. The GelaSkin itself looks good, and that is the problem. When you put it on the iPhone, not so good.

More of a sticker than a skin

What I like about GelaSkins for the iPhone is that the vinyl provides a much better grip than the seemingly frictionless surface of the device itself. This is especially important for those carrying the iPhone who are not Steve Jobs. If Steve drops his iPhone and it breaks, some lackey will just pull another one out of a briefcase and hand it to him. Not so for the rest of us. The GelaSkin also does quite well in protecting the back of the iPhone from scratches, or at least most of them. Unlike iPods before the iPod touch, Gelaskins for the iPhone do not cover a lot of surface. Sure, there are controls along the edge, but the artwork is diminished by not flowing up to the silver bezel on the front. Add to that the considerably higher price for front and back protection, $30.65 (timely shipping included), and I am just not happy—chemical brain imbalance notwithstanding.

It's just not that great of a deal. At the very least, you should get a GelaScreen included in the $14.95 price. However, what really needs to happen to make the GelaSkins for iPhone and iPod touch as excellent as those for other iPods is better coverage of the device. I don't care about all the controls being in the way—break out the razor blades or scissors, GelaPeople! For high price and less coverage, I must reduce the number of infinity symbols from 5 out of 5 in my previous review for the iPod nano to 3 out of 5 for the iPhone. Less infinities for you, GelaSkins for iPhone, sorry.